Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus that, for example, starts printing of a print job issued by a user when the user comes near the image forming apparatus, a notification method, a computer-readable recording medium storing a program, and an image forming system.
Description of the Related Art
There is an image forming apparatus having a security printing function for preventing information leakage caused when a printed matter output onto a document receiving tray is taken away or peeped by a stranger. According to the image forming apparatus, an output-permitted user that permits execution of printing related to the print job is previously set for the print job. When an authentication device belonging to the image forming apparatus authenticates the output-permitted user, the image forming apparatus starts printing related to the print job, and thus security can be enhanced. As described above, the print job in which the output-permitted user causes the image forming apparatus to perform security printing is referred to as “security job.”
Conventionally, in order to ensure the security in the printing by the security job, the output-permitted user performs an authentication action in front of the image forming apparatus. There has been used, as the authentication action, for example, a method for causing a card reader belonging to the image forming apparatus to read privacy identification information of an IC card held by the output-permitted user. As described above, since the output-permitted user is authenticated in front of the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus can perform the printing on the basis of the security job in a state where the output-permitted user is present in front of the image forming apparatus. Since the output-permitted user can easily take out the printed matter having high security, there can be prevented a problem that the printed matter passes into the hands of a user other than the output-permitted user.
However, the output-permitted user needs to wait in front of the image forming apparatus until the printing based on the security job is completed. This is because, when the other user is present near the image forming apparatus, the security is impaired as soon as the printed matter is ejected onto a document receiving tray. Furthermore, since the image forming apparatus starts the printing based on the security job from a time point when the authentication device authenticates the output-permitted user, printing time required until the printing is finished becomes longer, and waiting time for waiting for completing the printing in front of the image forming apparatus becomes longer, thereby resulting in lowering convenience.
In order to shorten the waiting time of the output-permitted user, there is, for example, a method in which the output-permitted user having approached the image forming apparatus by a predetermined distance through the utilization of radio or the like remotely logs in the image forming apparatus. Even when the output-permitted user is present at a place away from the image forming apparatus, the image forming apparatus automatically starts the printing based on the security job issued by the output-permitted user by remote log-in. Then, at a time point when the output-permitted user reaches the image forming apparatus, the printing of the security job has completed to some extent, and thus the waiting time of the output-permitted user becomes shortened. As described above, techniques disclosed in Patent Literatures 1 and 2 as below are known as a technique of the output-permitted user remotely logging in.
The Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique for starting display on a display screen when it is detected that an identification information transmitting apparatus held by the user has entered within a predetermined distance.
The Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique for determining a warming-up start distance on the basis of a typical walking speed of human being and a warming-up time required for preparing image formation by using a composite machine.